The President of Burkina Faso is said to have been arrested – VG

It is reported that President Roch Marc Christian Kabore has been detained in an army camp by rebels in Burkina Faso, according to Reuters reports.

The news agency confirmed this by two security sources and an unnamed diplomat. The French RFI quoted its correspondent in the West African country as the arrest of an unnamed source for the security of the president and there is talk of a coup.

They also wrote that a statement is expected in the next few hours. At the same time as news of the arrest arrived on Monday, soldiers were seen outside the state television station, according to AFP.

The alleged arrest comes a day after an exchange of fire near the president’s home in Ouagadougou. The exchange of fire lasted several hours, and the soldiers are said to have taken control of the Lamisana Sangol military barracks.

On Sunday evening, protesters supporting the soldiers set fire to a Kabore party building.

Despite the growing unrest, the government attempted to deny a coup had occurred.

On Monday afternoon, the president took the magazine out of his mouth, and took to Twitter to talk about what he describes as the country’s “difficult times.”

– At this exact moment, we must protect our democratic values. I call on those who took up arms to lay them down for the benefit of the country. Kabore says on Twitter that it is through dialogue and the ability to listen that we can resolve our differences.

Sunday’s riots came after several weeks of growing frustration with the government’s handling of the country’s Islamist uprising.

Siaka Coulibaly, director of the Citizen Monitoring and Analysis Center for Social Policy, says that Burkina Faso has been living in a very tense security situation for several years now. RFI.

The country, which borders Mali, has for several years faced challenges with attacks by jihadist groups.

Coulibaly notes that the rebellions did not come as a great surprise, due to tensions and dissatisfaction in the army, after several defeats and deaths.

On Sunday, RFI wrote, protesters showed their support for the soldiers and set up roadblocks in the capital, Ouagadougou. Also on Saturday, there were attempts to demonstrate, which were stopped by the police.